


cookies above coruscant

by TheSpaceCoyote



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Baking, Chancellor Armitage Hux, Duel of the Fates Canon, Fluff, M/M, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, the most domestic these two will get
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:02:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27998694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSpaceCoyote/pseuds/TheSpaceCoyote
Summary: Afternoon tea with his chancellor has become somewhat of an occasional ritual for the Supreme Leader, but this time when Kylo shows up to the quaint chamber Hux has commandeered, he finds something slightly different.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren
Comments: 13
Kudos: 85
Collections: Kylux Advent Calendar 2020





	cookies above coruscant

**Author's Note:**

> Another entry for Kylux Advent, this time using Day 9's "pastries" prompt. I wanted to write a little snippet with Chancellor Hux, hope you all like it!

It wasn’t unusual for Hux to invite Kylo to teatime.

The Chancellor, once as austere and abstemious as any cold-hearted military man, had developed quite a fondness for exotic imported teas, expertly crafted treats displayed on delicate platters, and the quaint repurposed chamber that sat on the eastern flank of their palace, where the panoramic windows provided a stunning view of Coruscant’s skyline, its sleek high-rise buildings basking in the pink glow of the afternoon.

Kylo thought he knew what to expect when Hux requested his presence. But as the doors leading to the chambers slid open and he walked on through, he found something different waiting for him.

The circular table where Hux held tea still sat near the largest of the long windows, still dressed in the usual white linen, trimmed with red and gold. And the air still simmered with the scent of freshly brewed tea—something rich and caffeinated, with plenty of spice, a cursory sniff told Kylo.

But Hux was not clad in the ensemble he usually wore as Chancellor, the long, maroon robes with the high collar and the slight train, all woven from a fabric patterned to look like exquisitely veined marble. Instead, Hux looked unusually casual—well, casual for _Hux_ —in a pair of white dress pants, high boots, and what appeared to be a lengthy green tunic, its keyhole neckline embroidered with glimmering red thread.

“You’re on time this afternoon, Ren.” While Hux usually was already seated by the time Ren arrived for tea, today he was circling around the table, adjusting the three-tiered platter in the center of the table. The kettle hummed merrily alongside him, whispering out occasional puffs of steam, the water kept hot in the event they wanted more tea. It wasn’t unheard of—while Hux hardly ever finished a single cup, due to his propensity to bring up official business regarding their empire, Kylo often found himself downing more than one of those palm-sized cups.

“I thought I would surprise you, coming by early….but I think you’re the one doing the surprising.” Kylo trudged over towards the table, suddenly feeling a bit inappropriately dressed when he caught a closer look of the table setting. It was far more _festive_ than what he usually expected from Hux—the minimalist ceramics replaced with plates and cups and saucers painted with decorative lifetrees and bright golden stars. A large red doily spread out from the center of the table like a sort of controlled explosion, scattering decorative glass baubles and cuttings of fresh foliage at its edges. The whole visual was a lot more jubilant than usual.

Yeah. Standing next to it, dressed from head to toe in solid black, _absolutely_ made Kylo feel like he needed to change. But Hux was already pouring him the tea, and glancing pointedly at the opposite chair, pulled out and expectant. So Kylo took his seat.

“Go on, help yourself to some food too. There’s plenty of sweet biscuits! And you’ll never guess who made them.” Hux took his own seat after pouring his tea. Glancing across the table, he smiled at Kylo—an _actual_ smile, not one of those typical Hux smiles that were more like a purse of lips that just so happened to quick upwards at the edges. No. Kylo saw _teeth._

He blinked dumbly. Had something happened to the Chancellor? Some sort of brainwashing plot or chemical attack to make him act this way? He gave Hux the quick once over with the Force, trying to detect whether something was amiss, but all he could sense was pleasantry, and a spark of child-like pride.

“The kitchen…?” Kylo suggested, not really putting much thought into it, as he reached for a cookie from the lower tier—at which point, it became incredibly obvious who had made them. They were flat and dark brown, almost burnt at the edges, and slathered with brightly-colored, almost toxic looking icing, in a variety of colors only a child would find appealing. The shapes and decoration of the cookies almost looked intentional, and Kylo guessed they were supposed to represent animals—or perhaps they were starships? Or trees?

Regardless, they were a far cry from the uniformly crafted petit fours and finger sandwiches they usually enjoyed at tea time.

“I decided to give the kitchen a break today and try my own hand at baking. I think they turned out fair enough, do you?” Hux took a proud sip of his tea, eyes shining with anticipation at the cookie in Kylo’s hand. “I knew you would go for that one. I made your TIE Whisper, just for you.”

Kylo glanced back down at the cookie in his hand. He turned it one way, then the other, then tried squinting until his eyes ached Well…he supposed it _sort of_ looked like his TIE. Maybe after a couple of hundred dogfights and an emergency landing on a swamp planet.

But he wasn’t about to tell Hux that. At some point, he might’ve delighted in pointing out Hux’s shortcomings, especially to harm his pride, but he couldn’t bring himself to say anything cruel to the man who had clearly put a lot of work into this particular afternoon’s tea.

“You made this?” Kylo said, putting on what he hoped sounded like believable incredulity. “Wow, Chancellor. This is _impressive_.“

“You think so? I was worried I had baked them too long or put too much icing on them.” Hux’s smile softened, lingering tensions melting out of his posture. “I’m so pleased.”

“Good. You should be.” Kylo felt a smile of his own creep onto his face; less so at the prospect of eating these cookies, and more so at Hux’s genuine happiness. “Not every Chancellor doubles as an expert baker.”

Hux laughed against the surface of his tea as he took another sip. “Oh, flatterer, you haven’t even taken a bite yet. Go on.”

Kylo’s smile did falter a little bit, as the frosting-laden cookie loomed closer to his lips, but he shut his eyes and pushed through it anyway, taking a respectable bite. He was the Supreme Leader of the First Order, the grandson of Darth Vader himself—he didn’t fear a mere cookie.

Still, he chewed carefully, waiting for the unpleasant taste to hit. And yet, the first bite went down without much fuss. Kylo furrowed his brow, bemused. The cookie was slightly burnt and the icing overly sweet and grainy, but it wasn’t _that_ bad. Nothing a quick swig of spiced tea couldn’t fix.

“Well?” Hux was practically leaning up and out of his seat, waiting for the verdict with rapt attention.

Kylo set the teacup back down, lightly licking his lips. He met Hux’s eager gaze, surprised but happy that he didn’t have to lie to his chancellor when he replied:

“Not bad for a first try, Hux.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'd love to read your comments if you have them! 
> 
> Hit me up on [Tumblr](http://thethespacecoyote.tumblr.com) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/heir_of_breath7/).


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